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American Association

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
August 11, 2014 - American Association (AA)


BASEBALL

American Association: The Amarillo Sox of the independent AA have been trying to get a new downtown stadium built for the team, but the project has been in negotiations for several years and a potential completion date has been pushed back to sometime in 2017.

Freedom Professional Baseball League: It looks as though the low-level independent FPBL is not playing a 2014 season. The league reported it was to start play in June 2014, but no games have yet to be played. The FPBL started play in 2012 and had four Arizona-based teams each season. In mid-May the league listed the Goodyear Centennials, Prescott Federals and Tucson Prospectors as home ballparks for the 2014 season.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball League of Canada: After being dropped by the NBL-Canada for the upcoming 2014-15 season, the ownership of the Ottawa SkyHawks might take the league to court and stated the league was unjustified in revoking the Ottawa franchise. The league wants a team in Ottawa, but it needs any ownership group to be financially capable.

Tobacco Road Basketball League: The TRBL officially announced that Team Certified of Winston-Salem (NC) will be part of an upcoming 2014-15 fall-winter season starting in November. The league currently lists 14 member teams. For its first two seasons of 2012 and 2013 the TRBL season ran from early April to early June, while in 2014 the season ran from mid-January to mid-June.

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional: Mexico's top professional basketball league known as the LNBP has posted a 2014-15 schedule listing 14 teams. Of the 14 teams from last season, the Toros de Nuevo Laredo, Angeles de Guerrero and Lechugueros de Leon did not return. The league added a new team in Leon called the Titanicos de Leon along with two other teams called Jefes de Fuerza Lagunera and the Barreteros de Zacatecas. The Barreteros return after dropping out after the 2012-13 season.

East Coast Basketball League: The proposed new spring-summer ECBL, which currently consists of five teams that left the Tobacco Road Basketball League, will be holding its first league meeting next week when it will consider two to five teams for possible membership in its inaugural 2015 season.

FOOTBALL

Arena Football League: After a poor 2014 season, a report out of Des Moines states the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers team could be looking to move to a different league like the Indoor Football League next season. The IFL has several teams in smaller markets Green Bay (WI), Cedar Rapids (IA), Bemidji (MN), Sioux Falls (SD) and Grand Island (NE).

X-League Indoor Football: After announcing last week that the Cape Fear Heroes (Fayetteville, NC) joined the X-League from the league known as American Indoor Football, the Florida Tarpons (Estero) and Corpus Christi Fury of the Ultimate Indoor Football League have now joined the X-League for its second season in 2015. The Tarpons and Fury were part of a four-team UIFL in 2014, but the league's two other teams, the Missouri Voodoo (Springfield) and Miami Inferno, dropped out during the season.

Ultimate Indoor Football League: The UIFL recently lost its two remaining active teams-the Florida Tarpons and Corpus Christi Fury-to the X-League Indoor Football. A previously announced 2015 UIFL expansion team called the Capital City Revolt (Columbia, SC) stated the team was unable to secure home arena dates for the 2015 season and would try to resume operations for a 2016 season. With the recent announcement of teams leaving the UIFL, the Revolt stated it would also be looking for a new league.

Fall Experimental Football League: The proposed new FXFL, which plans to start this October and become a developmental league for the National Football League, announced its second team will be the Florida Blacktips (Miami). The Blacktips will play home games at Florida International University. Last week, the league announced its first of five teams would be the Omaha Mammoths. Other first-season teams are expected to be placed in New York, Boston and Austin.

National Football League: The owner of the NFL's Oakland Raiders made a recent trip to San Antonio and was reported to be looking to relocate the Raiders to San Antonio. This proposed relocation is also being considered as the Raiders trying to obtain some leverage for a new stadium in Oakland.

HOCKEY

Federal Hockey League: The new FHL franchise in Watertown (NY) announced it will be called the Watertown Wolves when it starts play in the upcoming 2014-15 season. The new name was chosen from a list of five finalists that also included Blizzard, Ice Storm, Vortex and Whiteout as possible choices. The Wolves replace the Watertown Privateers franchise that folded after the 2013-14 season.

ECHL: There has been speculation professional hockey's two Double-A leagues-the ECHL and the Central Hockey League-could merge after the 2014-15 season. At the same time, there is speculation some teams in current western ECHL markets like Bakersfield (CA), Las Vegas, Ontario (CA) and Stockton (CA) and the current CHL team in Prescott Valley (AZ) would move up to become part of the Triple-A American Hockey League, which is trying to develop a new Western Division of teams.

Major League Roller Hockey: In addition to its four-team East Division, the 2014 MLRH summertime Super League now has a three-team West Division with teams called the Anaheim Bullfrogs, Hollywood Dream and So Cal Lobsterz that will start play next week.

SOCCER

Major Arena Soccer League: Although the owner of the Rochester Lancers announced the team would not be part of the MASL's inaugural 2014-15 season, the MASL stated a potential new owner was trying to purchase the Rochester Lancers franchise that could allow the team to remain in the league.

Major League Soccer: The Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association are reported to be interested in investing in the Division-III Sacramento Republic FC of the United Soccer Leagues PRO league and helping the team build new downtown soccer-specific stadium for an MLS franchise. Representatives of the Kings and Republic FC recently met with MLS officials, who are expected to visit Sacramento in the near future to tour potential stadium sites. The Sacramento Republic FC has been an attendance success in its first season in the USL PRO league.

United Soccer Leagues - PRO League: With Major League Soccer looking to have each of its teams affiliated with a team in the USL PRO league, some MLS teams like the Vancouver Whitecaps, Real Salt Lake and New York Red Bulls, which do not have current USL PRO affiliations, are making moves in that direction. The Whitecaps recently signed a memorandum of understanding for a USL PRO team in New Westminster (British Columbia). Real Salt Lake wants to invest in a new local stadium specifically for a USL PRO team and the New York Red Bulls are planning to expand its training facility in Hanover (NJ) that could become home to an affiliated USL PRO team.

OTHER

National Lacrosse League: The indoor NLL announced the Philadelphia Wings franchise has come under ownership by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and will relocate to the Mohegan Sun arena in Uncasville (CT) for the 2015 season. The Mohegan Arena is also home to the Mohegan Tribe's Connecticut Sun franchise in the Women's National Basketball Association. The Philadelphia Wings had been part of professional indoor lacrosse since 1987.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the "The Leagueology Almanac 2012-13", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The publication is currently available at www.amazon.com.

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